Savannah, Georgia On My Mind

Savannah, Georgia has been on my “must see” list of places to visit in the US for many years now. I have driven the lengthy 24 hours from Toronto to Miami countless times. However, throughout the years I have never driven through the more picturesque eastern side of Georgia, I have always gone through Atlanta because its been said it’s safer when the weather conditions are unpredictable during the winter months. This time, I made sure to stop in Savannah on the drive back from Tampa, Florida.

One of the Many Squares in Savannah | Shot on Sony A7 | 1.6 sec at f/10, ISO 50 |

The majority of my time away, this trip, I chose to use my Sony A7 for several reasons. I adore the quality and sharpness of the images. Especially when the shooting conditions are ideal as far as lighting and there is no moisture in the air. The light weightiness of the camera makes it quite painless to lug around than a DSLR and not break my back. And lastly I really want to get familiar with my Sony like I am with the Canon 70D in different scenarios.

Shot on Sony A7 | 5 secs at f/10, ISO 100 |

I always pictured Savannah homes surrounded by massive oak trees with wrap around porches. I imagined people sitting outside on their rocking chairs watching and engaging with the people passing by. I imagined lots of greenery and perfectly manicured lawns. I also envisioned Savannah to be a place that hadn’t changed much in many years.

I didn’t have much time in Savannah so I never had the chance to explore everything I hoped to see. I had done a little research to find out what to see and the history of the small town. The downtown architecture is very similar to the colonial style I imagined. Something I’m not used to seeing especially living in a big city. I visualized a place that looked like something straight from a movie set like in The Truman Show or Stepford Wives. A place I would likely only see in the movies.

There were many streets with homes that were converted into offices, lining the canopy tree covered streets that raised a curiosity in me wanting to explore the insides. I didn’t.

Shot on Sony A7 | 20 sec at f/10, ISO 100 |

Everything was so picturesque and perfect. As I stopped along the side of one of the main streets to take my first picture, some friendly pedestrians suggested I stop by a nearby church. So the church is where i went next. For a small city with a population of only 142,772 people the church was much larger than I would have expected. It reminded me a little bit of Basilica Notre Dame in Montreal or something you would visit traveling around Europe.

Shot on Sony A7 | 1.6 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100 |

A service just finished and I kindly asked the priest if it would be okay if I snapped some pictures. He graciously said yes without hesitation and welcomed me in.

Just outside the cathedral the pristine streets were filled with innumerable tourists glancing at their maps. As I was taking a photo in the middle of a square, I found out from another tourist that there were a total of 22 squares in the downtown area. With only a few hours to tour the city. I only had the chance to visit a few of the squares. There were other areas I was more interested in seeing. Also, I didn’t do enough research prior to know what each square had to offer and how they differed from one another.

Shot on Sony A7 | 1/125 at f/4, ISO 100 |

The next thing that caught my eye was what appeared to be an enormous family home. I soon found out from another friendly visitor that it had now been converted into a charming bed and breakfast. As I put down my tripod a little woman who just stepped out of her car, asked if she was in my way. She asked me politely if I wanted her to move her car. I repeatedly thanked her but told her it wasn’t necessary. She asked me again and I’m not sure if she could see the shock on my face because it is very rare to encounter such accommodating strangers. She ended up moving her car and I thanked her profusely and told her how appreciated her kind gesture was.

It’s funny how perfectly the kindness of the people and the picture perfect city suit each other so well.

The weather wasn’t in my favour and the rain came down quite heavily preventing me from being able to walk around without getting drenched. I wasn’t able to capture everything I would have loved to through my lens.

When the sky is grey and flat I tend to be uninspired when it comes to taking photos. The image ends up looking lifeless and rather dull. I love shooting outside during the day when the sky is blue and there are some clouds creating some definition in my images. When the weather is against me during the day, I would usually tend to opt to shoot after dark but unfortunately I wasn’t staying long and had a long trek to my next stop in Washington, DC.

I thought my best option was to attach my variable ND filter to my camera and hopefully create some movement by cars and people passing by. I was hoping that would help liven up my photos. It can be rather disappointing when you have a limited time to visit a place and the weather is not cooperating.

Although I did not have the time and opportunity to see as much as I would have liked to, I think my short visit in Savannah was enough for me to have to never return.